Sporadic rain showers did not deter attendees from celebrating Lincoln Academy’s class of 2022 at the Stanley Waltz Track Field and Pavilion on Friday, June 3.
Periodically throughout the 90-minute program, rain would pick up and drench the crowd, many of whom came prepared with umbrellas.
Valedictorian Madeline Russ was blunt and unflinching in her assessment of the “world we are about to enter as adults.” She said she is pursuing a career in health care like many of her peers and enumerated the “reminders of the difficulty of fighting for the health and safety of all humans.”
“Firearms-related injuries have become the leading cause of death in children and teens in the United States. Mental health and substance use diagnoses are at crisis levels,” Russ said. “Proponents of reproductive health access have watched elected legislators and appointed justices strip away reproductive rights. A virus has killed one million Americans, with losses concentrated in marginalized communities. And climate change increasingly threatens the health and safety of all of us.”
Russ urged her classmates to use “our collective drive and passion to implement positive change” and to “fight the righteous fights.”
“Our greatest achievements lie ahead, and these achievements will not come without a willingness to fight for what we believe in,” Russ said.
Logan Heath then performed a heartfelt rendition of Lord Huron’s “The Night We Met” on his acoustic guitar.
Fasai “Sonny” Cumming and Benjamin Schwink gave the salutatory addresses.
“Today is not about the GPAs or who has the most prestigious plans for after high school. It’s about all of you and recognizing all your hard work and perseverance,” Cumming said.
“There are a lot of things I have to be grateful for. But first and foremost is that I’m under here,” Schwink said from under the stage pavilion as the rain picked up in intensity.
Schwink spoke to the individuality of each student at Lincoln Academy before repeating the statement to the graduating class.
“I’ve never met anyone quite like you, each and every one of you,” he said. “I see people coming from all places and going all places. That what sets you apart makes you irreplaceable.”
Eugenia Fuggetta then sang a beautifully moving rendition of the Madison Ryan Ward song “Mirror,” before Head of School Jeffrey Burroughs and Kelley Duffy, director of curriculum and instruction, presented awards to various graduates.
Cedar Cannon Blues Band warmed up the crowd prior to the conferring of diplomas with an up-tempo version of James Brown’s “Drive that Funky Soul.”
